The last time I saw Charlie he was on stage, accepting the title of school president, amongst the applause and cheer that went along with it. The audience was a sea of students, all dressed in orange and black, holding placards with the slogan “Charlie B in “’83!”

Of course, Charlie was not his real name. Thomas Brown, having been dubbed with the nickname Charlie for obvious reasons since the first day of school, may have looked every inch like his namesake in physicality but was the exact opposite in personality. Where the famed Peanuts character was a quietly spoken self-doubter, Charlie took the bull by the horns at every opportunity, charging ahead in his outspoken manner. This had made him a very popular student and thus, to his presidential win.

I glance at a framed photo of the two of us, Charlie with his bowling ball head and me carrying that same security blanket I have today. I cling to it tightly and can’t help wondering why we’d lost touch.